Heavy metals and other toxins have been linked to many human diseases, but determining exactly how they damage is not easy to demonstrate, that is, difficult until we look at what happens in the blood when exposed to contaminants like mercury and aluminum.

Dr. Narasimham Parinandi, director of the lipidomics and lipid signaling laboratory at Ohio State University Medical Center focused their attention on the activation of an enzyme called phospholipase D, or PLD, in cells that line arteries in the lung. They exposed the cells to the inorganic, environmental and pharmaceutical forms of mercury, and observed that all three forms activated the enzyme. The activation of the enzyme involves a complex sequence of events in the cell membranes that in turn releases phosphatidic acid, which can damage cells in the vessel lining called endothelial cells. Mercury's link to heart disease can in part be traced to activation of this enzyme, which triggers a process leading to plaque buildup in blood vessel walls (1).


Heavy metals can also encourage the blood to coagulate and therefore reduce the transport of oxygen. Scanning electronmicroscopy of platelets have shown that cell margins appeared irregular and wavy, with small pseudopodia-like protrusions from the surface after being exposed to mercury (Hg) and arsenic (As). Cadmium (Cd) caused loss of the general spindle shape, and the platelets assumed a round spongy appearance. All heavy metals examined effected enhanced collagen-induced aggregation (2).


Heavy metals take part in activation of blood clotting and haemolysis which decrease equidistance and accelerates sedimentation of erythrocytes(3). Mercury can induce an increase of cholesterol as a risk factor of myocardial infraction and cardiovascular disease (4). Heavy metal toxicity or exposure to environmental toxins can also activate unusual production levels of soluble fibrin monomer (SFM), which is a clotting agent.

Thick blood may also be caused by the presence of harmful pathogens such as fungi, viruses, bacteria, and parasites and these pathogens flourish in a heavy metal contaminated environment. These pathogens can actually activate a coagulation response in the body as a way to avoid being attacked by the body�s immune system. SFM lines the capillaries with fibrin making it impossible to transfer oxygen and nutrients to body tissues. A lack of oxygen and nutrients then creates an ideal environment for these pathogens to survive and cause illness.



When numerous metals are present in the body, they have a �synergistic toxicity.� Dr. Boyd Haley, professor and chair of the chemistry department at the University of Kentucky, performed a study on rats and found that the mortality rate of rats exposed to a small dose of mercury or aluminum killed only 1 rat in 100. However, when the rats were exposed to both mercury and aluminum at the same time, all 100 rats died�a 100% mortality rate.


Any cell or molecule in your body that has sulfur in it will be attacked, destroyed or deactivated by mercury. The problem is Mercury simply "Loves Sulfur" too much. So much so, that it will compete with other molecules for Sulfur and can usually "steal" Sulfur out of other molecular structures, in effect killing them. If it can't steal Sulfur, Mercury will bond to the Sulfur atom the best it can. This usually prevents the molecule from performing its function. Sulfur is part of our blood cells as well as many other proteins and enzymes also found in the blood.

Autoimmune disease is conceived not to be an exaggerated response to foreign matter. But it is thought that this syndrome occurs when foreign chemicals modify tissues or immune cells, affecting the regulation of immune response such as the production of antibodies and inflammatory response. The result is an immune response against our own tissues, tissue damage and disease. Mercury and other compounds can induce this response by the immune system. Systemic lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are two autoimmune diseases. Mercury toxicity is a complex subject that most doctors have avoided like the plague because they mostly support the use of mercury in medicine and dentistry.


The immune system attacks something which is genuinely foreign, but sometimes it even reacts to harmless antigens (allergy). The immune system has evolved to neutralize and eliminate foreign substances from our bodies. However, it cannot always tell whether the foreign substance is harmful, so it sometimes attacks harmless substances vigorously, causing an inflammation which can be far more harmful than the foreign substance alone. Hay fever (allergic rhinitis or asthma to plant pollens) is a good example.

In the case of heavy metals and other foreign intrusions into the blood there is often a delayed hypersensitivity (immune system response) that does not start to be noticeable until several hours to a full day after exposure. Immediate hypersensitivity occurs within minutes of exposure to the foreign substances. Immediate hypersensitivity occurs when the body produces a special kind of antibodies, called immunoglobulin E (IgE), to an antigen. Mast cells and basophils bind the IgE on their surfaces. When antigen binds to (and cross-links) the IgE, these cells pour out vasoactive amines, such as histamine. It is these vasoactive amines which cause the inflammation.

Intense immune system response can end up with a dramatic proliferation of white blood cells (especially neutrophils) which attack everything, and can cause severe tissue damage. An example of this kind of reaction is a reaction to a large injection of penicillin.

Mercury and other metals accumulate in the oral cavity in fibroblasts, macrophages, and multinuclear giant cells of connective tissue, in blood vessel walls, along nerve sheath fibers, in basement-membranes of mucosal epithelium, striated muscle fibres, along collagen bundles and elastic tissue, in acini of salivary glands, and in tooth roots and jaw bones (5), (6) Exposure to heavy metals has been found to be one of the most common causes of allergic contact diseases (ACD) and other allergic and immune reactive conditions. One of the largest sources of exposure to the metals that will be shown to commonly cause inflammatory, immune reactive conditions is from dental metals namely mercury, copper, tin, and silver.


When mercury bind to SH-groups(sulfhydryl) in sulfur compounds like amino acids and proteins, changing the structure of the compound that it is attached to, this often results in suppression of the immune system and in the immune systems T-cells not recognizing them as appropriate nutrients and attacking them (7) with chronic exposure resulting in autoimmunity. Such binding and autoimmune damage has also been documented in collagen. (8) Metals by binding to SH radicals in proteins and other such groups can cause autoimmunity by modifying proteins which via T-cells activate B-cells that target the altered proteins inducing autoimmunity as well as causing aberrant MHC II expression on altered target cells.(9), (10)


Studies have demonstrated that low concentrations of mercury significantly enhanced chemiluminescence, as well as stimulated H2O2 production by polymorphonuclear leukocytes. These studies clearly demonstrate the ability of extremely low levels of HgCl2 not only to suppress various PMN leukocyte functions involved in host defense, but also to stimulate reactive oxygen metabolism.(12),(13) In vivo, these HgCl2 effects would not only compromise host defense but also promote tissue injury via the local production of reactive oxygen metabolites which would have their direct effect and damage in the vascular system.


One mechanism of mercury�s affect on contact sensitivities is the inhibition of glutathione S- transferase,(15) which is a modulator of inflammation. Mercury also causes intestinal damage and leaky gut, causing metabolic damage and increasing food sensitivities meaning more immune system responses in the blood (16)

Mark Sircus Ac., OMD
Director International Medical Veritas Association
Winning The War On Cancer

Dr. Mark Sircus is the Director of Natural Allopathic Studies of the faculty of the DaVinci College of Holistic Medicine, an international school specializing in Holistic Medicine. Professor Sircus is also the director of oriental medical studies. A member of the International Association for Distance Learning, The DaVinci College of Holistic Medicine is accredited by the Complementary Medicine Association in the United Kingdom.

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1 Mercury's link to heart disease begins in blood ve...( COLUMBUS Ohio Heavy metals and other...)

2 Journal of Environmental Pathology, Toxicology and Oncology Low Doses of Heavy Metals Disrupt Normal Structure and Function of Rat Platelets - Begell House Inc.

3 [Erythrocyte equidistance and heavy metals in the pathogenesis of disseminated intravascular coagulation in myocardial infarct patients at the hospital rehabilitation stage] | CureHunter

4 https://data.healthis.org/pv/200504/a05.pdf

5 Buchner A, Hansen LS., �Amalgam tattoo of the oral mucosa: a clinicopatholigic study of 268 cases�, Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol, 1980, 49(2):139-47

6 Forsell M, Larsson B, Ljungqvist A, Carlmark B, Johansson O , Mercury content in amalgam tattoos of human oral mucosa and its relation to local tissue reactions. Euro J Oral Sci 1998; 106(1):582-7.

7 Immunotoxic effects of mercuric compounds on human lymphocytes and monocytes. III. Alterations in B-cell function and viability; & Shenker BJ, Berthold P, Decker S, Mayro J, Rooney C, Vitale L, Shapiro IM. Immunotoxic effects of mercuric compounds on human lymphocytes and monocytes. II. Alterations in cell viability. Immunopharmacol Immunotoxicol. 1992;14(3):555-77.

8 Jenny Stejskal, Vera Stejskal. The role of metals in autoimmune diseases and the link to neuroendocrinology Neuroendocrinology Letters, 20:345 358, 1999.

9 HultmanP, Johansson U, Turley SJ; Adverse immunological effects and autoimmunity induced by dental amalgam in mice. FASEB J 1994; 8: 1183-90;

10 Pollard KM, Lee DK, Casiano CA; The autoimmunity-inducing xenobiotic mercury interacts with the autoantigen fibrillarin and modifies its molecular structure and antigenic properties. J Immunol 1997; 158: 3421-8

11 Noda M, Wataha JC, Lockwood PE, Volkmann KR, Kaga M, Sano H. Sublethal, 2-week exposures of dental material components alter TNF-alpha secretion of THP-1 monocytes Dent Mater. 2003;19(2):101-5

12 Effects of mercury on human polymorphonuclear leukocyte function in vitro. Contrino J, Marucha P, Bigazzi PE, et al, Am J Pathol. 1988 Jul;132(1):110-8.

13 Metals, toxicity and oxidative stress. Valko M, Morris H, Cronin MT. Curr Med Chem. 2005;12(10):1161-208

14 Britschgi M, Pichler WJ. Acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis, a clue to neutrophil-mediated inflammatory processes orchestrated by T cells. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. 2002 Aug;2(4):325-31.

15 Muller M, Westphal G, Vesper A, Bunger J, Hallier E., Inhibition of the human erythrocytic glutathione-S-transferase T1 (GST T1) by thimerosal., Int J Hyg Environ Health. 2001 Jul;203(5-6):479-81

16 Watzl B, Abrahamse SL, Treptow-van Lishaut S, Neudecker C, Hansch GM, Rechkemmer G, Pool-Zobel BL., Enhancement of ovalbumin-induced antibody production and mucosal mast cell response by mercury. Food Chem Toxicol. 1999 Jun;37(6):627-37.

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Legal Notice: The Author specifically invokes the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and of the press without prejudice. The information written is published for informational purposes only under the rights guaranteed by the First Amendment of the Constitution for the United States of America, and should not in any way be used as a substitute for the advice of a physician or other licensed health care practitioner. The statements contained herein have not been evaluated by the FDA. The products discussed herein are not intended to diagnose, cure, prevent or treat any disease. Images, text and logic are copyright protected. ALL rights are explicitly reserved without prejudice, and no part of this essay may be reproduced except by written consent. �2008 by Mark Sircus